Ryan Hueter
The Buccaneer
Peninsula College
The Skagit Valley Cardinals out-rebounded, out-shot, and generally out-played the Peninsula College women’s basketball team in cruising to a NWAACC North Division win, 66-35, on Feb. 9.
The Pirates (2-9 in division, 5-15 overall) struggled in the opening period, shooting just 14 percent from the field, and could never catch the No. 7-ranked Cardinals (10-1 in division, 17-4 overall).
“Skagit is a good team. We were a little outmatched from the beginning,” Peninsula coach Alison Crumb said.
Although the Pirates were able to force the division-leading Cardinals into 21 turnovers, including 12 in the first half, Skagit was able to cash in on the extra possessions more than Peninsula.
The Cardinals netted 26 points as a result of turnovers to the Pirates’ eight. Errant passes and a tenacious Skagit defense caused 20 Peninsula turnovers.
“They converted in the open court a lot more than we did,” Crumb said.
The Cardinals also dominated the boards, cleaning the glass for a two-fold rebounding margin.
A pair of undersized guards propelled the Cardinals to the pronounced rebound advantage, 61-35.
Bainbridge Island’s 5-foot 9-inch Brittany Gray collected 11 rebounds while 5-foot 7-inch Bree Park garnered eight rebounds.
“They got so many chances off second-chance opportunities,” Crumb said. “We couldn’t get the rebounds we wanted.”
The Pirates were further hampered by a scoreless stretch of nearly 11 minutes, spanning the two stanzas.
Ardis Pullen netted a two-point basket for Peninsula with 7:26 to play in the first half, putting the Pirates within eight, 22-14.
From there, the Cardinals went on a 20-0 run that not only demoralized the Pirates, but put the game out of reach less than four minutes into the second half.
By the time Peninsula stopped Skagit’s scoring barrage on a Megan Smith bucket, the Cardinals led, 42-16.
The Pirates shot 20 percent from the field over the course of the game and were unable to match Skagit’s fine-tuned attack in any facet.
Smith netted seven points, grabbed six rebounds, and nabbed five steals. Callie Monfrey pulled down 11 boards to lead Peninsula.
Gray paced the Cardinals with 23 points while Brandi Brenner poured in 21.
The Pirates battle the North Seattle Storm (3-8 in division, 4-15 overall) at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, in Port Angeles.
